Americas

On Sunday 21 August, another enormous day of protest marches, in
opposition to the AFP (the compulsory private pension system) took place
all around Chile. Over 400,000 marched in Santiago, with up to 2 million
marching around the country. This represents a huge increase on the 1
million who marched in the historic protests of 24 July.

It represents a new pinnacle of mass anger and protest in a country
which has been rocked by waves of a militant student movement over the
last decade. Sunday’s protests, with the young and old participating in
large numbers, represents the beginnings of a new unity of students,
workers and youth in struggle.

The marches were called by the “No + AFP” campaign, which brings
together activists and leaders of the Chilean Bank workers’ federation,
the national health workers’ union, and other smaller unions. Members of
Socialismo Revolucionario (CWI in Chile), who play an important role in
the bank workers’ federation have played a leading role in building this
campaign over the last years. Patricio Guzman, an economist and leading
Socialismo Revolucionario member, has made numerous national media
appearances. A
video of one such interview (in Spanish) can be seen here).

If the government refuses to rectify and go beyond the meagre
concessions offered thus far, the next step which has been announced by
the movement is the building of a national general strike on 4 November.
While the government-controlled CUT (the historically main union
confederation) until recently supported the government’s pension policy,
key militant unions such as the copper workers and dockers’ unions,
could play a leading role in such a stoppage.

Such a stoppage, organised over the heads of the country’s
pro-government union bureaucracy would be a very significant step in the
building of a new, militant mass movement of the working class in Chile,
both industrially and politically. Socialismo Revolucionario aims to
play a central role in this, struggling for the building of a new mass
social and political alternative, armed with a revolutionary socialist
programme.